Still Undefeated! #2 LSU beats #3 Texas 7-4

Tigers remain the only remaining unbeaten team in America

First things first I want to apologize for the lack of softball coverage on the site the past couple of seasons. Saltzman had the beat on lockdown but has moved on to bigger and better things, and I’m just spread a little too thin to provide the coverage the program deserves.

And this Tiger team is deserving of a whole lot more attention because if you haven’t been paying attention Beth Torina’s got something pretty special cooking this year.

The No. 2 ranked Tigers of LSU beat No. 3 Texas earlier this afternoon at Tiger Park 7-4 to remain the only undefeated team in all of D1 softball. LSU is 23-0 and coming off an SEC opening sweep over Kentucky in Lexington.

“All of our coaches had a great game plan put together, and I think the team followed the script well and bought into what we wanted to do,” Beth Torina said. “It’s fun to see the plan executed perfectly.”

Raeleen Gutierrez drew first blood for LSU with an RBI double, and Kelley Lynch blew the game open with a bases clearing double to push LSU’s lead to 5-0.

LSU was able to chase Texas starting pitcher Teagan Kavan after just two-thirds of the opening inning. Kavan have up three hits, walked one, hit another batter with a pitch and was charged with all five of those first inning runs. Estelle Czech came on in relief of Kavan and didn’t fair much better. Czech gave up four hits and two runs in 3.1 innings of relief; Mac Morgan finished the final two innings for Texas.

For LSU Sydney Berzon went the distance. Berzon didn’t exactly shut down Texas, but she did more than enough from the circle to give LSU its best win of the season. Berzon was nails when it mattered most as she retired the final 10 Longhorn batters she faced.

Texas answered back with three runs in the third inning and one in the fourth to make the game 6-4, but LSU responded in the home half of the fourth to push the lead to 7-4.

Ciara Briggs was 2-3 at the plate with an RBI and scored two runs. Ali Newland and Karli Petty each had an RBI.

LSU (23-0) will have a chance to tie and possibly break the record for best start in program history this weekend at home against Ole Miss. The current record belongs to the 2015 team, who opened the season 25-0. That 2015 team is maybe the best in school history; those Tigers made it to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series and came within a game of advancing to the championship series. Hopefully this year’s team can have just as much, if not more postseason success.